Preventing the Summer Slide: Executive Function Strategies for Students with IEPs and 504 Plans

Each summer, students trade in backpacks for beach towels, but for many, academic skills quietly slip away in the background. Preventing “summer slide” can be especially important for students with executive function challenges or those supported by IEPs and 504 Plans. Without the scaffolding of school routines, it’s easy for progress to stall or even reverse.

The good news? With a few intentional strategies, families can help students maintain their academic growth and recharge emotionally. And at Mindfish, we’re here to help make that possible through personalized coaching and summer supports that build real, lasting skills.

Why Executive Function Skills Regress Over Summer

For students with executive function (EF) difficulties, school provides more than just academics: it’s a built-in structure that supports time management, attention, and follow-through. When that structure disappears, students may struggle with:

• Task initiation (getting started without prompts)
• Time blindness (losing track of time or deadlines)
• Working memory lapses (forgetting multi-step tasks)
• Reduced emotional regulation (especially when routines change)

A comprehensive meta-analysis by Harris Cooper et al. (1996)  titled;  “The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores” and published in Review of Educational Research, examined 39 studies and found that students lost an average of one to two months of grade-level skills over summer, with math losses sometimes averaging 2.6 months 

That’s where proactive planning and the right tools can make a difference in preventing summer slide.

Routines That Build Retention (Without Over-Scheduling)

Summer should feel like a break. But for students with IEPs or 504 accommodations, total unstructured time often leads to frustration, forgetfulness, and academic slide.

Here’s the balance: create a light weekly rhythm that weaves in skill-building while still honoring downtime.

Sample Weekly Plan:

Even small doses of 30–60 minutes a day help preserve momentum.

Research shows that just 2–3 hours of academic engagement per week can prevent learning loss for most students.
(Source: RAND Corporation, “Making Summer Count”)

Tools That Foster Summer Independence

Let summer be a lab for self-management. These simple tools build independence and executive function strength:

Visual Schedules   Post a daily/weekly calendar with icons or color-coding. Helps with transitions and planning.
Goal-Setting Checklists  Include 1–2 academic and personal goals per week (e.g., “write 1 letter to Grandma,” “practice math facts 3x”).
Timers & Alarms  Use visual timers (like Time Timer) or phone reminders for work/rest cycles.
️Planners or Bullet Journals  Even a simple notebook can help students track reading, goals, and reflections.
Parent Check-ins  A weekly 10-minute meeting to celebrate wins, revise routines, and talk about what’s working (or not).

At Mindfish, we go beyond tutoring. Our coaching helps students develop real-world systems—so they don’t just get help, they learn how to help themselves.

Supporting Students with IEPs & 504 Plans

Summer is a chance to reinforce the skills named in your child’s IEP or 504 Plan. If your student receives accommodations like extended time, chunking, or graphic organizers, summer is a great time to build familiarity with those tools in low-pressure contexts.

Ask:

• How can we embed scaffolded writing or reading into real-life experiences?
• Can we teach time management through something fun (like planning a family picnic)?
• What would it look like to practice self-advocacy during summer activities (like camps or lessons)?

One in five students in the U.S. has a learning or attention issue, yet many parents are unsure how to extend school-based supports into the summer.
(Source: National Center for Learning Disabilities)

That’s why we offer custom summer coaching plans tailored to your child’s needs—because the best growth happens when support and flexibility go hand in hand.